1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to boat trailers and particularly to a winch for a boat trailer that can be operated off a seven pin RV outlet commonly found on tow vehicles. The winch draws fewer than 30 amps off a 12-volt DC power source and does therefore not have to be connected directly to the 12-volt battery of a tow vehicle for operation. The current draw of the winch has been lowered by improving the gear ratio from the motor to the spool of the winch, by utilizing a softer cable and shortening the length of the cable.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Many boaters do not leave their boats in a body of water but rather launch and retrieve the boat every time it is used. The boats are hauled to and from a body of water with a tow vehicle having a conventional trailer hitch to which the boat trailer can be releasably mounted. Most tow vehicles have 30-amp outlet plugs commonly referred to as seven-pin RV outlets mounted on their bumper or near the rear of the tow vehicle so that while towing the vehicle, an electrical cord can be connected thereto for operation of the trailer lights, brakes, and a battery charging circuit.
Electric trailer winches, which are desirable to assist a user in retrieving and launching a boat from the boat trailer, have typically required 12-volt DC power sources and accordingly are typically driven directly from the battery of the towing vehicle. The current drawn by a conventional winch is typically far in excess of the 30-amp max obtainable from the seven-pin RV outlets which include fuses to prevent a current greater than 30 amps from being drawn through the outlet. To deliver the power from the battery of the tow vehicle to the rear of the tow vehicle typically requires the installation of a separate wiring harness whereby the winch can be operated directly from the 12-volt battery of the tow vehicle. The process of installing such a wiring harness is often difficult and requires stringing of up to 20 feet of electrical conduit from the front to the rear of the vehicle. Additionally, the wiring harness must be secured to the frame of the vehicle and kept clear of sources of heat, like the exhaust system and any rotating components such as are found in the drive or suspension system of the tow vehicle. Because the wiring harness is installed to the tow vehicle frame, it is also exposed to environmental elements and therefore is always suspect to corrosion.
Due to the above, electric trailer winches have not been well received in the boating industry for launching and retrieving boats from boat trailers. Many boaters find the installation of the wiring harness too difficult, or once installed, too unreliable.
It is to overcome the shortcomings of prior art boat trailer winches that the present invention has been developed.